1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing and packaging a photographic film by winding the photographic film, cut to a predetermined length, around a spool, inserting the wound photographic film into a cartridge, and loading the cartridge into a case thereby to produce a packaged product, and a mechanism for and a method of feeding resin components.
2. Description of the Related Art
For processing and packaging photographic films, photographic films are processed, the processed photographic films of given dimensions are wound up, the wound photographic films are inserted into cartridges, and the cartridges are loaded into cases by respective independent apparatuses. The photographic films need to be accumulated in each step and carried to the next step. Consequently, the entire procedure for processing and packaging photographic films is tedious and time-consuming.
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 6-266059 discloses a packaged product manufacturing apparatus having a film splicing unit placed in a dark environment for taking a blank film coil from a blank film coil container and unwinding the blank film coil into a next step, a component supply unit for supplying components to be combined with photographic films, a film processing and assembling unit placed in a dark environment for processing photographic films fed from the film splicing unit and assembling the photographic films with the components supplied from the component supply unit thereby to produce packaged articles, and an encasing unit for placing the packaged articles into cases.
The film splicing unit is covered with a light-tight cover which accommodates an automatic switching machine for taking a blank film coil from the blank film coil container, and a feeder for delivering the blank film coil set in a delivery position in the automatic switching machine to the film processing and assembling unit.
The film processing and assembling unit is also covered with a light-tight cover which accommodates a punching machine for forming perforations in a photographic film, a feeder for delivering the perforated photographic film, a latent image forming unit for forming frame numbers on the photographic film, a cutting machine for cutting the photographic film to a predetermined length, a spool winding unit for winding the cut photographic film on a spool, a cartridge insertion unit for inserting the photographic film wound on the spool into a one-end-open cartridge with only one end closed by a cap, and a crimping machine for crimping a cap on an open end of the cartridge.
Since the film splicing unit and the film processing and assembling unit are covered with the respective light-tight covers, the disclosed packaged product manufacturing apparatus can operate in a bright room. The packaged product manufacturing apparatus is complicated in its entirety and expensive because all the steps performed by the apparatus are automated.
If the film splicing unit or the film processing and assembling unit suffer some trouble therein, e.g., an operation failure or a jam of a photographic film, the operator is required to remove the light-tight cover and service the unit for recovery from the trouble. Therefore, any photographic films remaining in the troubled unit are exposed to light and spoiled. Furthermore, the process of servicing the troubled unit is tedious and time-consuming.
Particularly, in the event of any mechanical or sequence trouble, the troubled unit cannot automatically be recovered, and it takes the operator a long time to repair the unit for recovery. Although photographic films should preferably be stored in light-tight conditions while servicing the facility for recovery from trouble, such a solution cannot be relied upon by the conventional apparatus. Consequently, when the film splicing unit or the film processing and assembling unit suffers trouble, a large number of exposed photographic films are produced, resulting in a highly uneconomical situation.
According to the above procedure of processing and packaging photographic films, packaged products which comprise film-contained cartridges encased in respective cases are finally produced. However, it is desirable in some film applications to deliver film-contained cartridges which house photographic films wound on respective spools to another process. For example, a one-time-use camera known as "QuickSnap" manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co. employs a film-contained cartridge directly installed in the camera body.
When film-contained cartridges with photographic films wound on respective spools are to be removed from the procedure of processing and packaging photographic films, it is necessary to temporarily stop the operation of the encasing unit. However, controlling the procedure to shut off the encasing unit while film-contained cartridges are being removed from the procedure of processing and packaging photographic films is considerably complex, making it inefficient to manufacture final packaged products. Automatic removal of film-contained cartridges from the procedure of processing and packaging photographic films is also highly complex because the encasing unit needs to be shut off and at the same time the removed film-contained cartridges need to start being delivered to a desired accumulating position.
For making the entire processing and packaging procedure efficient, it is necessary to feed required components efficiently to the units or stations. Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 4-217511 discloses a system for smoothly supplying bottomed cylindrical cases to a case storage unit. According to the disclosed system, a case molding machine and an open housing of the case storage unit are interconnected by an elongate feed pipe, and bottomed cylindrical cases are fed by way of suction through the delivery pipe.
Since cylindrical cases are fed under an air pressure through the feed pipe which is substantially long, the cylindrical cases being fed tend to be brought into frictional contact with the inner wall surface of the feed pipe. Usually, the feed pipe is made of stainless steel, vinyl chloride, acrylic resin, or the like, and the cylindrical cases are made of high-density polyethylene or polyethylene which is softer than the feed pipe.
Therefore, when cylindrical cases are brought into frictional contact with the inner wall surface of the feed pipe, the cylindrical cases are liable to produce worn debris, which will be deposited in bent and end portions of the feed pipe while the system is in operation for a long period of time. The deposited worn debris often finds its way into cylindrical cases being fed and is attached thereto. If a one-end-open cartridge with only one end closed by a cap is inserted into such a cylindrical case, then the worn debris in the cylindrical case is likely to be attached to an exposed tongue-like end of the photographic film which sticks out of the cartridge.
When the cartridge is loaded into a camera and used, the worn debris is transferred from the tongue-like end of the photographic film onto an exposed frame of the film, adversely affecting the picture that has been captured on the film. Damage caused to captured pictures by the worn debris on the cartridge itself poses a highly serious problem on photographic films.